from Kevin Allen of USA TODAY,

If Hughes, who won't turn 18 until May, goes first, and scouts say it is highly likely he will, Hughes would be the eighth American to be drafted No. 1 overall.

Because of Hughes’ dynamic style, NHL team fan bases are already talking about whether their team will be in the Hughes sweepstakes.

Here is our projection for the teams with the best opportunity to land Hughes:

1. Colorado Avalanche: This is the best possible situation for the Avalanche because they can qualify for the playoffs and end up with the most attractive odds to secure Hughes. Their chance comes from owning the Ottawa Senators’ first-round pick, which was acquired in last season's three-team deal that sent Matt Duchene to Ottawa and Kyle Turris to the Nashville Predators. The Senators, who finished 30th last season, could have given the Avalanche their 2018 pick. But they drafted Brady Tkachuk at No. 4 and will take their chances this season. They will struggle after trading Erik Karlsson and Mike Hoffman.

2. Detroit Red Wings: Because the Red Wings are rebuilding, many Detroit fans are hoping they will be near the bottom of the standings to have a better chance to win the draft lottery. The idea of a Hughes-Dylan Larkin one-two center tandem is appealing. The Red Wings will give considerable playing time to their younger players, such as Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Michael Rasmussen, Tyler Bertuzzi, Andreas Athanasiou and perhaps Filip Zadina, who will start the year in the minors. The Red Wings are still a couple of seasons away from being competitive.

read on